Estero Bay Historic Cottage and Matanzas Pass Preserve

     Estero Bay Historic Cottage was a really great field trip.  Not only was the woman very sweet, but she was also very informative.  It was interesting to hear about how the land has changed over the years.  The cabin that we visited was constructed during the beginning of the 20th century.  The environment was thriving during that time, because people lived simpler lives.  When the bridge was built to connect Ft. Myers Beach to the main land, it began to see a dramatic increase in numbers of visitors and residents.  Due to this increase, more of the local fish decreased and the water quality went down due to contamination.

 

http://www.naturefoundationsxm.org/education/mangroves/mangroves.htm 

     The boardwalk took us through a mangrove forest where we could see red, black, and white mangroves.  I took a lot of photos on this trip, but unfortunately I had a problem loading them.  I do not remember the catchy phrase about the mangrove trees unfortunately, but I do remember the differences.  The red are the closest to the water and have shiny leaves.  Red mangroves have propagules that hang off the trees until they drop into the water to grow a new mangrove.  Black mangroves are slightly more inland and have a dark colored trunk with knots on it.  White mangroves are on higher land and look more like an average tree.  The leaves secrete salt, which one of my classmates tasted and said that it was disgusting.  The lake was gorgeous along the trail and I got to see a few interesting birds.  I wish I could have identified them, but they flew away before I could take a picture. 

http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/factshts/2004-3124/2004-3124.htm

 

 

     I have never heard of Conservation 20/20 before this.  After some research I found that it was started, because a group of people in Lee County were not happy with the amount of land preserved compared to other areas of Florida.  This group lobbied for funding to go to this ecological cause. Conservation Lands Acquisition and Stewardship Advisory Committee is the group that selects, purchases, and manages the land they wish to preserve.  The goals of the committee are to protect natural wildlife, protect developed lands from flooding, and preserve water and resources.

Conservation 20/20 website:  http://www.conservation2020.org/background.html

     I have been to one of the parks affiliated with this program during my Environmental biology of Southwest Florida class.  It is called Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed.  It was a gorgeous preserve and it was huge.  I enjoyed seeing the various habitats. Another great preserve that I have been to was at Koreshan.  I have been camping there a few times with my family and I love their nature trails.

Websites:
Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed=  http://www.crewtrust.org/
Koreshan Preserve=  http://www.floridastateparks.org/koreshan/default.cfm

I have also been to do not feel like very much of our taxes should go to land preservation.  I do agree that some should, because it will be beneficial not only for now, but for future generations to have a healthy environment.